Subject: USS Grail: 'The Great Brightness' - `A Solution?'

<<Stardate: 47307.30- 09:ish>>

<<Observation Lounge>>

There was a subtle change in the ambient atmosphere of the room.

The hum of hostility was being slowly replaced by hope and excitement.

This was due to the ideas presented by Eve Mallory and Jarel Deschaine.

Epic was no scientist, but the growing confidence that they both showed

in their ideas gave him confidence.

Epic looked to Janice Hargen. After her comments regarding the

attitudes of those around her, she seemed to withdraw. After she

finished, she seemed to tremble. As the ideas flew around him, he fixed

his gaze on her. He wondered if her comments were designed to draw the

`heat' away from him. If so, it worked to a small degree.

Janice looked up at him through her dark curls. Her hazel eyes

looked greener now. Perhaps it was indicitive of her distress. He

remembered their dinner `date' of a month ago. She had seemed so relaxed

then. And her eyes were bluer at that time. As she looked at him, Epic

allowed his own eyes to smile in gratitude. He had been feeling isolated

by his strong opinions and she had given him the support he needed. He

wondered, bemusedly, who the empath was. She, or himself.

He couldn't allow himself to be distracted by her eyes for too

long. There was still problems to be solved.

"It seems to me...", Epic spoke up. "And I am not a scientist, so

forgive me if I'm way off here, but the works of Soran and Seyetik are

not so different. Soran destroyed healthy stars to produce gravimetric

waves powerful enough to affect energy patterns for light years around,

while Seyetik used destructive energy to refuel a dying star. To reverse

Sorans work, we must essentially do as Seyetik did. Now...." Epic took a

breath.

"If we can actually re-ignite this star, what would that do to the

world of Kerestia? The Ambassador suggests that Kerestia is now locked

in ice. Would that melting ice create unmanageable floods? Ambassador.

What of the centers of Kerestias populations? Are they on high enough

grounds to survive such a potential deluge? Perhaps we might anticipate

this problem when we set about this task. Of course, we will learn more

once we have passed this star cluster and are able to take comprehensive

sensor readings."

Epic stood, moving to the wall mounted display monitor. Calling up

the limited information they had on the Great Brightness, Epic rapped

the screen with a knuckle. "We still have to get through this." Epic

turned to Alison Donucci and Francois DeMontigny. `Captain' Hillary

Singh stood behind DeMontigny. She was visibly excited by all that was

transpiring. He was glad for her. She seemed... fulfilled now.

"Flight Control...", Epic addressed that department. "I understand

you have a basic plan for navigating these treacherous gravimetric

challenges. We would like to hear them. Keep in mind though, Engineering

has produced a probe that will allow us greater information, so your

plan may be enhanced and supported by that information. Is the probe

ready for use?", Epic turned to Janice Hargen and Kaitlyn Brennan.